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UA's take on ‘Harlem Shake'

Crowd dances again after February attempt at viral video thwarted

Nojan Radfar, center, a freshman majoring in business at the University of Alabama, leads a performance of viral video meme “Harlem Shake” on the Quad outside Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on Friday.

Michelle Lepianka Carter | Tuscaloosa News

By Mark Hughes CobbStaff Writer

Published: Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 11:43 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | A “Harlem Shake” crew of about 150 gyrated in ninja, Pikachu, Angry Bird, Batgirl, Gandalf and other less identifiable guises on the University of Alabama Quad Friday afternoon, avoiding conflicts with administration this time by filing proper paperwork first.

When freshman Nojan Radfar rounded up hundreds of friends and other lighthearted folks back in mid-February, the video meme built around DJ Baauer's song of the same name was still cresting. Radfar had been challenged to create a UA version by a friend at the University of Texas, which boasts the largest “Harlem Shake” thus far, with a group estimated at about 4,000 dancing on the Austin campus.

Radfar figured he could top that, spreading the word via Facebook, Twitter and on-campus fliers. No special skills were required, other than a willingness to show up, maybe in a costume, and bring friends.

“You're not doing anything but jumping up and down looking stupid,” Radfar said.

Hundreds gathered in front of the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on the afternoon of Feb. 18 as music came from a portable sound system, and Radfar's video camera stood positioned atop the steps facing down to the Quad. But before the shoot could be completed, members of the UA Police Department broke it up.

“Who knew you needed a grounds-use permit? Especially when I'm paying $40,000 or $50,000 (in tuition) to use these grounds,” Radfar said.

The noise and potential disruption of normal school functions led to the police's intervention, said Shane Dorrill of UA's media relations.

“No one was informed that there was going to be a large gathering on the steps of the library,” Dorrill said. The amplified music made it difficult for students studying in the library and those in classrooms surrounding the area, he said. This time, Radfar filled out the forms, which are found online, and followed the regulations. The permit allowed them to gather after 4 p.m. on a Friday.

“Had the young man gone through the proper channels last time, gotten his grounds-use permit, it would have been no problem,” Dorrill said.

Radjan again took to social media and word-of-mouth to grow a crowd. Most seemed to be UA students, although a few more grown folks, like librarian Josh Sahib, who performs in local clubs as DJ Bin Rockin, and Allen Mallory, a psychology professor at Shelton State Community College and part-time stand-up comic, joined in.

“When I read about what happened with the cops here, I had a '60s flashback,” Mallory said, laughing. He also wanted to prep for his own version of “Harlem Shake” that he's planning to shoot next month after a show. “I'm encouraging everybody to come out in shark outfits or whatever.”

Part of the “Harlem Shake” meme is costuming, which can take pretty much any form the wearer wants. One man Friday afternoon combined a tuxedo Speedo with an '80s hair-metal wig and a mask of English rebel Guy Fawkes. Another mixed Gandalf with an Iron Man mask. Some women came decked out in fairy outfits, PJs or tights. Radjan himself stood down center for the shoot, sporting a Santa hat and a smile.

The “Harlem Shake” meme videos start with one person dancing, then cuts quickly to a larger crowd leaping wildly, spraying milk or other liquids and generally, as Radfar noted, aiming at purposefully stupid.

The earlier video attempt had finished its one-person part — a solo dancer dressed like the biker from the Village People, busting some old-school break-dancing moves — so Friday's shoot confined itself to the group shot. More than 100 people gathered pretty quickly, then others trickled in, encouraged by the crowd to drop their studying or Frisbee games. About 150 finally got it together.

“I'm not gonna lie; I'm disappointed (in the numbers),” Radfar said. “The first time we had at least four times as many people.

Some memes tend to have short shelf-lives. Unlike “Gangnam Style,” which was driven by a corporate PR campaign, the “Harlem Shake” videos started grassroots style, with groups such as Radfar's pulling together and creating variations. One starts with bored hipsters in a backyard, one

flannel-clad girl moving gently back and forth in a placid backyard setting; on the cutaway, they've stripped to dance in bikinis. The University of Georgia swim team cut an entirely underwater “Harlem Shake.” The cast of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” the Miami Heat and a Norwegian Army squadron have made versions.

But The Atlantic magazine called “meme murder” when the morning TV show “Today” cut one, suggesting that when a grassroots meme hits mainstream, it has jumped the shark.

Despite hoping for bigger numbers, Radfar still planned to have his video edited and online within a couple of hours.

“I can't thank all these people enough,” he said. He estimated 10 to 20 percent of the crowd were personal friends. “They came out basically to support me.

<p>TUSCALOOSA | A “Harlem Shake” crew of about 150 gyrated in ninja, Pikachu, Angry Bird, Batgirl, Gandalf and other less identifiable guises on the University of Alabama Quad Friday afternoon, avoiding conflicts with administration this time by filing proper paperwork first.</p><p>When freshman Nojan Radfar rounded up hundreds of friends and other lighthearted folks back in mid-February, the video meme built around DJ Baauer's song of the same name was still cresting. Radfar had been challenged to create a UA version by a friend at the University of Texas, which boasts the largest “Harlem Shake” thus far, with a group estimated at about 4,000 dancing on the Austin campus. </p><p>Radfar figured he could top that, spreading the word via Facebook, Twitter and on-campus fliers. No special skills were required, other than a willingness to show up, maybe in a costume, and bring friends.</p><p>“You're not doing anything but jumping up and down looking stupid,” Radfar said.</p><p>Hundreds gathered in front of the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on the afternoon of Feb. 18 as music came from a portable sound system, and Radfar's video camera stood positioned atop the steps facing down to the Quad. But before the shoot could be completed, members of the UA Police Department broke it up.</p><p>“Who knew you needed a grounds-use permit? Especially when I'm paying $40,000 or $50,000 (in tuition) to use these grounds,” Radfar said.</p><p>The noise and potential disruption of normal school functions led to the police's intervention, said Shane Dorrill of UA's media relations.</p><p>“No one was informed that there was going to be a large gathering on the steps of the library,” Dorrill said. The amplified music made it difficult for students studying in the library and those in classrooms surrounding the area, he said. This time, Radfar filled out the forms, which are found online, and followed the regulations. The permit allowed them to gather after 4 p.m. on a Friday.</p><p>“Had the young man gone through the proper channels last time, gotten his grounds-use permit, it would have been no problem,” Dorrill said.</p><p>Radjan again took to social media and word-of-mouth to grow a crowd. Most seemed to be UA students, although a few more grown folks, like librarian Josh Sahib, who performs in local clubs as DJ Bin Rockin, and Allen Mallory, a psychology professor at Shelton State Community College and part-time stand-up comic, joined in.</p><p>“When I read about what happened with the cops here, I had a '60s flashback,” Mallory said, laughing. He also wanted to prep for his own version of “Harlem Shake” that he's planning to shoot next month after a show. “I'm encouraging everybody to come out in shark outfits or whatever.”</p><p>Part of the “Harlem Shake” meme is costuming, which can take pretty much any form the wearer wants. One man Friday afternoon combined a tuxedo Speedo with an '80s hair-metal wig and a mask of English rebel Guy Fawkes. Another mixed Gandalf with an Iron Man mask. Some women came decked out in fairy outfits, PJs or tights. Radjan himself stood down center for the shoot, sporting a Santa hat and a smile.</p><p>The “Harlem Shake” meme videos start with one person dancing, then cuts quickly to a larger crowd leaping wildly, spraying milk or other liquids and generally, as Radfar noted, aiming at purposefully stupid. </p><p>The earlier video attempt had finished its one-person part — a solo dancer dressed like the biker from the Village People, busting some old-school break-dancing moves — so Friday's shoot confined itself to the group shot. More than 100 people gathered pretty quickly, then others trickled in, encouraged by the crowd to drop their studying or Frisbee games. About 150 finally got it together.</p><p>“I'm not gonna lie; I'm disappointed (in the numbers),” Radfar said. “The first time we had at least four times as many people. </p><p>Some memes tend to have short shelf-lives. Unlike “Gangnam Style,” which was driven by a corporate PR campaign, the “Harlem Shake” videos started grassroots style, with groups such as Radfar's pulling together and creating variations. One starts with bored hipsters in a backyard, one </p><p>flannel-clad girl moving gently back and forth in a placid backyard setting; on the cutaway, they've stripped to dance in bikinis. The University of Georgia swim team cut an entirely underwater “Harlem Shake.” The cast of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” the Miami Heat and a Norwegian Army squadron have made versions. </p><p>But The Atlantic magazine called “meme murder” when the morning TV show “Today” cut one, suggesting that when a grassroots meme hits mainstream, it has jumped the shark.</p><p>Despite hoping for bigger numbers, Radfar still planned to have his video edited and online within a couple of hours.</p><p>“I can't thank all these people enough,” he said. He estimated 10 to 20 percent of the crowd were personal friends. “They came out basically to support me.</p><p>“But what can I say? The time may have passed.”</p>